Hydraulic brake for guns having a recoiling barrel.



K. VULLBR. HYDRAULIG BRAKE FOB. GUNS HAVING A REGOILING BARREL.

APPLICATION IILED JAN. 16, 1907.

Patented Dec. 30, 1913.

3 SHEETS-SEEET 1.

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HYDRAULIG BRAKE FOR GUNS HAVING A REGOILING BARREL. APPLIOATION FILED JAN. 16, 1907.

1,082,71 Patented Dec. 30, 1913.

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K. VO'LLER. 2 HYDRAULIC BRAKE FOR GUNS HAVING A REOOILING BARREL. APPLICATION FILED JAN. 16, 1907.

1,082,? 1 '7. Patented Dec. 30, 1913.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

'YIIJIIIIIIIIIIIIIIAVA'IIIIEIJIIII I l S E S I IIIIIIIIIIII/IIIIIAI IIIAI-VIII? I N E R UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

KARL V6LL'ER, DUSSELDORF, GERMANY, ASSIGNOR TO RHEINISCI-IE METALL- WAAREN- UND MA SCHINENFABRIK, OF DUSSELDORF-DERENDORF, GERMANY.

HYDRAULIC BRAKE FOR GUNS HAVING A RECOILING BARREL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 30, 1913.

Application filed January 16, 1907. Serial No. 852,601.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, KARL VoLnnn, engineer, a subject of the German Emperor, residing at 17 Jiilicherstrasse, Dusseldorf, Germany,-have invented certain newand useful Improvements in 'Hydraulic Brakes for Guns Having a Recoiling Barrel; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full,

clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to. a hydraulic brake for guns having a recoil barrel of the kind described in my Patent No. 755418, in which the cross section of the passage for the flow of the braking fluid is automatically increased or diminished accordingly as the elevation of the barrel is varied.

According to the present invention an annular slide in the present example forming part of the piston capable of rotation and at the same time of sliding eoaxially with the piston rod, is so arranged that at the beginning of the recoil it brings into register the passages for the, flow of the braking fluid with corresponding passages in the piston rod, while in its other position when the return begins, it brings into reg1ster other passages with further passages in the piston rod for the flow of braking fluid. The adjustment of the initial cross section of the passages corresponding to the required length of recoil is automatically controlled, as in the aforesaid specification, by the rotation of the piston rod according to the given elevation, and the gradual closing during the recoil and the gradual opening during the return, is effected by guiding the annular slide in a curved groove in the braking cylinder.

In the accompanying drawings, are shown several embodiments of the invention by Way of illustration.

In these drawings Figures 1 and 1? and Figs. 3 and 3 are developed longitudinal sections taken on the line 1 and '3, Figs. 2,

and- 1 respectively; Figs. 5, 7 and 9 are longitudinal sections; Figs. 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 are transverse sections through Figs. 1, 3, 5, 7 and 9 respectively; Fig. 11 shows diagrammatically the different stages of the registering of the passages for the form of construction illustrated in Figs. 1, 1 and 2; and

Fig. 12 is a similar View applicable to the other embodiments.

In the construction shown in Figs. 1, 1 and 2, the brake cylinder f which is constructed and connected with'the gun barrel in the known manner, contains the piston rod 7);. the latter is fixed as usual in the front end plate of the gun carriage and is automatically turned when the elevation "of the barrel is varied in the manner set forth in the aforesaid patent. On the head I) of the piston rod I) there is free to turn an annular slide a which is guided in curved grooves in the brake cylinder in such a manner that it is rotated during the recoil and during thei-eturn. This slide is so faced on its periphery that it acts as the brake piston. It has two sets of passages c and h which can come into register with the passages d and 9 through the head of the piston rod, that is to say either the set of openings a (i come into register, or the set of openings 7 it. These two sets of openings may differ in cross sectional area, one set serving to assist in throttling the braking fluid during recoil and the other during counter-recoil. In the brake cylinder f there is a regulating rod fixed at its rear end. It is guided in the hollow piston rod, and is provided with a bore 8, in order that during the recoil and return it may not effect any braking action ofthe piston'rod b. The rod is has its surface turned down at its middle part to the form of a bi-concave curve, so that the braking fluid can pass through the "passages 0 (Z or g h from one side of the piston to the other. The form given to the surface of therod corresponds with the conditions that prevail during the movement of the gun barrel, so that it is possible, by selecting a suitable curvature for the surface, to

control the speed of passage of the braking fluidat every'instant of the recoil or thereturn to correspond with .the prevailing pressure and resistance. I

Fig. 1 indicates the nular slide at the end 0 the return, 'Fig. 1 indicating the position atthe beginning of the recoil. During the recoil, the brake cylinder f together with the regulating rod is fixed to it, slides backward, while the piston rod 6 remains stationary. The annular slide a is thus pressed against the rear flange of the head I) of the piston rod; so that its os ition, 'off the anhorizontal position.

passages '71. come into register with the passages g of the piston rod. The braking fluid can now flow from the front part i of the braking cylinder, through passages g and h to the rear part 6 of the cylinder. It passes on its. way, through the space between the curved surface of the rod 70 and the bore of the head of the piston rod, the dimensions of which space at every moment depend on the curve given to the regulating rod to suit the pressure and resistance.

The degree to which the passages g and h reglster at the beginning, depends upon the amount of rotation that the piston rod b has received correspondingly with the elevation. These passages do not remain in the same relative position during the whole recoil, but move in relation to each other during the. progress of the recoil owing to the rotation of the annular slide a, until the cross section of the passage is so small that the barrel and brake cylinder remain stationary. This relative shift is diagram-' matically shown in Fig. 11, where I is the position at the beginning of the recoil, it being supposed that the barrel is in the The cross hatching shows that the passages are in complete registration. 1

III indicates that the passages are completely out of registration, while II shows an intermediate position which is either attained during the change from I to III, or

is the result of the elevation of the barrel to a certain angle.

In the return, as Fig. 1 shows, the annular' slide a is pressed against the front flange of the head of the piston rod, so that the passages g and h are separated from each other, and instead the passages c-and d come intoregistration. Here also the throttling of the braking fluid by. the curved form of the regulating rod 70 occurs. At the same time the flow is also regulated by the rota- .tion of the annular slide during the return.

Figs. 3-10 show modifications of the invent-ion in which a regulating rod like that shown in Figs. 1 and 2 is not used. Instead,

the regulation corresponding with the condivtions of pressure and resistance is attained by curving the boundaries of the passages -for the fluid. In Fig. 12 this method is illustrated for three different positions.

Figs. 3,3, and 4 the annular disk a slides axially on the head b? of the piston rod,yand is turned on the latter by the curved. grooves in the brake cylinder during.- 1 the'recoil and the return.

Fig. 3 shows the position of the piston during the return,

while Fig. 3 shows the position during re- 7 coil. The passages in the head of the piston ,rod form a direct connection between the passages of the slide a and the front and rear part of the brake cylinder. The passages g, in this form of the device, lead to ports p near its rear end. The cylinder is secured to the piston rod by having a forward extension is threaded into the rear end of the piston rod, as clearly shown, and

adjacent to the ports 0 it is provided with an internal bridge or valve seat, Z. The slide a is mounted-to rotate on the cylinder m and is guided in spiral grooves in the cylinder. A- ring a is fitted in the end of the slide and acts as a stop to limit the movement of a valve having a stem a playing in the extension kof the cylinder, a disk portion'n adapted to engage the bridge or valve seat Z, and a spider or ring portion n slidably fitting within the cylinder and adapted to cover the ports 72 therein. The slide is also provided with lateral ports adapted to register with the ports 0, 7), in the cylinder m, as shown and as will be readily understood.

The functions which the slide in the previous constructions fulfilled by its axial I movement, are here transferred to the valve n. The longitudinal section shows the piston and valve in the position which they or recoils. In Figs. 7 and 8 a slide .1' arranged within the cylinder m is substituted forthe valve.

In this case the slide?" is subject to the action of a spring (1' arranged between the head of the slide and the end of the cylinder m, so that during recoil the rear ports in the will be closed by. the slide, as shown. During the return the braking fluid presses against the slide and compresses the spring 9, thereby forcing the said slide 1? forward and bringing the ports 0 therein into registry with the ports 0 in the cylinder m, as will be readily understood. In this case the slide a hasthe'sarne construction as that shown in Figs. 5 and 6.

The form shown in Figs. 9 and I0 is similar to that just described, with this difierence, that the slide 1' is arranged outside of instead of within the cylinder m.

In both cases the cylinder will register with the ports 72' in the slider and the front ports ain'the cylinder The an- 1 nular slide a which, .as in the preceding constructions is guided in grooves in the brake cylinder, extends into the interior of the cylinder m and is bayonet-j ointed therewith. This connection can be released only after the bolt that connects the piston rod with the end plate has been removed.

Figs. 9 and show the arrangement of the parts in the recoil position, the spring q is compressed owing to the pressure of the fluid on the front end of the slide 1-, the ports 7) are opened, for the recoil so that the braking fluid can flow from the front partof the braking cylinder to the rear part. During the return the spring 9 presses the slide 1' forward, so that the return ports 0 are opened while the ports 72 are closed. A

flange u on the piston rod limits the position of the slide 1' during the return.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our saidinvention and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we claim is 1. In a hydraulic brake for guns, the combination, with a cylinder, a piston mechanism within said cylinder and having dissimilar sets of'ports comprising radial passages, one for the flow of braking fluid from one side of the piston to theother during the recoil movement and the other for the contrary flow of the same fluid during the counter recoil movement, of means controlled by the pressure of the braking fluid in both directions, and arranged to open one set of ports and close the other during movement in one direction and vice versa during movement in the other direction.

2. In a hydraulic brake for guns, the combination of a piston-part having two dis-- similar ports comprising radial passages, and a slide carried b the said piston part and arranged to be s ifted under the pressure of the braking fluid to cause either of said ports to be closed when the other port is open. I

3. In a hydraulic brake for guns, the combination with a brake cylinder, of a piston part within the same provided with two sets of ports for the passage of braking fluid, a slide mounted on the piston to have an axial and a rotary movement thereon, the said slide being provided with two sets of ports for the passage of the braking fluid andbe- \ing open to the pressure of the braking fluid,

KARL VOLLER.

Witnesses: I

ALERED PoHLMEYEB, PETI'r LIEBER. 

